Civil engineering professors from the University of Alberta in Canada have developed a new technique that uses solar energy to hasten tailings pond reclamation projects.

Professors James Bolton and Mohamed Gamal El-Din have discovered that utilizing sunlight as a renewable energy source to treat "oil sands process affected water" or OSPW retained in tailing ponds have the same efficiency as the established method of using ultraviolet light as a light source, but at a cheaper cost.

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"We know it works, so now the challenge is to transfer it into the field," said Gamal El-Din, who also worked on the project with post doctorate fellow Arvinder Singh, biological sciences professor Miodrag Belosevic and graduate students Zengquan Shu and Chao Li.

The alternative process created by the team not only addresses the requirement for managing tailing ponds, but could potentially be put to use treating wastewater in cities, as well.

Since the process is powered by solar energy, the cost will be minimal compared to existing methods currently being used in the field.

Oil sands tailing ponds contain a cocktail of salts, suspended solids and other dissolvable chemical compounds such as acids, benzene and hydrocarbons. Generally, the tailings ponds need 20 years or more before they become candidates for reclamation.

The combination of chlorine treatment and solar ultraviolet light applied to the tailings ponds make the detoxification and decontamination of the OSPW immediate.

When exposed to direct sunlight, the organic contaminants present are partially removed by the energy of the sun. The sunlight will then react with the bleach or chlorine added to the wastewater, producing hydroxyl radicals, which are powerful oxidative reagents that remove the enduring toxins more efficiently.

The chlorine left in the process leaves no residue as the sunlight decomposes it.

"This process has been gaining a lot of attention from the oil sands industry," said Gamal El-Din "We're now seeking funds for a pilot-pant demonstration and are looking at commercializing the technology."

TagsOil Sands Tailings Pond, Oil, solar power, solar energy, Sunlight, Sun, ultraviolet light, bleach, chlorine